A Collection of Medals for the Gallipoli Campaign

Three: Private J. Rodgers, Highland Light Infantry, who was killed in action at Gallipoli on 25 July 1915

1914-15 Star (2440 Pte. J. Rodgers. High: L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (2440 Pte. J. Rodgers. High L.I.) minor contact marks, good very fine (3) £140-£180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals for the Gallipoli Campaign.

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John Rodgers was born in Edinburgh and attested for the 7th (Blytheswood) Battalion (Territorial), Highland Light Infantry at Glasgow. He disembarked at Gallipoli on 2 July 1915 as part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division and was present during the Battalion’s attack on Turkish positions at Achi Baba - a prominent hill that overlooked the British beachhead at Cape Helles. Ordered ‘over the top’ at 1650 hrs on 12 July 1915, the Scots were met by a barrage of small arms and artillery fire. Despite this strong opposition, they succeeded in capturing three successive lines of enemy trenches and then set about consolidating their gains on the second position. The following day, the Battalion’s War Diary states:
‘Our line ... was enfiladed, owing to the number of men in the trench also dead and wounded only a very primitive consolidation could be made during the night, on which account we suffered very heavily from the enfilade machine gun fire.’

Rodgers survived the engagement but was killed in action less than 2 weeks later on 25 July 1915. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.